London: A crucial letter written by Mahatma Gandhi while he was in house arrest, which has been described as ‘the most significant’ in Indian history, has been expected to bring a mere 15, 000 pounds during an upcoming auction.

The letter, which had been brought from a member of Gandhi''s freedom fighters in India, would be going under the hammer at the specialist sale of historical documents at Mullock''s Auctioneers'' at Shropshire, England next Thursday, the Daily Mail reports. Estimate between 10,000 and 15,000 pounds, the three-page typewritten correspondence sent by Gandhi to the British rulers during his 1943 house arrest at Aga Khan Palace in Pune, contained a reasoned plea for the release of himself and his followers from captivity.

In the letter, Gandhi had described his detention as ''a waste of public funds'' while millions of Indians starved to death. The letter also has references to the resolution of the All India Congress held on August 8, 1942 where Gandhi had himself given a strong call of ''do or die'' for Indian independence. According to Richard Westwood-Brookes, the Historical Documents Expert at Mullock's Auctioneers, the letter is highly significant primarily because it had been written from prison, and also because it signified Gandhi's desire to achieve a diplomatic and a strategic struggle for independence in a non-violent way, and eventual successful establishment of the State of India. Westwood-Brookes added that if Gandhi has not written the letter, it would have been a catastrophe for India. The sale would also feature a large quantity of important Indian documents and artefacts, including manuscripts, letters, photographs and original art.